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Showing posts with label Homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschool. Show all posts

Math Made FUN

I know, I know. I NEVER post anymore. Well, I'm not a very organized person and posting on Blogger just isn't a priority. But I do want to share something with you that I found this week.

Here at the Loveless home, we home school. We're trying a new schedule this year, (which is working out great) and started the year in the middle of July. We get a week off every month, two weeks at Christmas, and six weeks for summer. Anyhow, that was simply to explain to you why we are in school in the summer time.

Now to tell you what I wanted to share. This year, we're using a new math cuuriculum, Math Mammoth which is great (and VERY affordable)! Maria at Math Mammoth teaches more than facts, she teaches concepts. Jerry's curriculum last year was a little more traditional. He hates boring facts and so instead of memorizing them he adds on his fingers and toes. Well, this year is different. I've been working with him on learning to add mentally by making groups of tens. Jerry is VERY hands on in his learning and so I looked online for a simple, inexpensive abacus. What I found was even better! Instructions on how to make one myself!

I love DIY if it doesn't involve a lot of money, equipment, brain power, or time. All I needed was four craft sticks, five bamboo skewers (which I cut in half), 100 pony beads (in color groups of 5), and some good ole' fashioned Elmer's glue. The abacus is hand sized, inexpensive, and if my active, accident prone boy breaks it, it won't break the bank! Here's the finished product....


With Math Mammoth and this... Math just become more fun!!!



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Cursive First -- Update


This is a sample of Jerry's first copy work. We spent two weeks learning the lower case letters. This is a boy who hated penmanship before. It was like pulling teeth to teach him how to print correctly. Now he can write in cursive and even his printing is improving. Now learning the uppercase letters is almost natural. Just today he learned, J, R, F, T, A, and G.

The Cursive First program teaches the letters in groups, the clockface letters, the loop letters, the uphill letter, and the bump letters. As Jerry learned each letter he would say the various strokes out loud. So he is learning by doing, hearing, and saying, each letter. For a hands-on kinda kid, that's great!

Cursive first is designed to work with a phonetic learning to read program. Now that he knows his basic letter formation, he practices writing the different phonograms (letters ad letter combinations that make one sound ie. "sh") that make up the English language. This is helping with his reading. Instead of sounding out a bunch of letters he is learning to read by phonetic sounds.

For more information on why teaching cursive first is such a great idea go to: Cursive First: An Introduction to Cursive Penmanship. It only costs $20 and is fully reproducible. If we hadn't already been given a phonics based reading program, I would consider buying the companion program, "Spell to Read and Write." Jerry is very proud of the fact that his writing is better than his Daddy's, but then again even Daddy has trouble reading his own writing :)

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Cursive First



Our son, Jerry, is in kindergarten this year and is doing well in reading and math, but HATES penmanship. Jerry is a lot like his Momma when it comes to learning style. We learn best in a "hands-on" environment and not so much in a "you-listen-while-I-teach" environment. Jerry, like me, also does not like doing something he can't do well.  The boy can scale from his loft bed, across his window ledge and onto his bookshelf like a panther, but has trouble making a straight line. So, printing isn't his strong suit. 

One day a few weeks ago, he begged to learn cursive. I thought, "Why not research it?" Well, I found out that until the 30's and 40's children were taught cursive first and printing later. It also made sense to me that if a child naturally learns how to make circles and curvy lines first, cursive should be easier. After looking around I found a very affordable curriculum called "Cursive First".

We just started the curriculum last week and Jerry is excited. It takes a "hand-on" approach which appeals to a more tactile learner like Jerry. Before using a pencil, he first learns proper formation of his numerals and letters by making them in the air. For instance, the number eight -- "Begin at at 2 on the clock, go UP and OVER to 10, slide across to 4, curve down and around to 8 and finish by making a straight line back up to 2." As we say the steps, we make the number 8 in the air. Next we trace it on a picture of a clock with our finger. Then we get to use the salt box. Jerry loves the salt box! 

Note: To make a salt box, take a shoe box or photo box. put the lid on the bottom of the box and trace around it. Next cut the box along the line you just made. Then glue black paper in the bottom. When the glue is dry, pour in the salt. You just need enough to cover the bottom. Now the child can make his letters in the salt while saying the steps. 

Once Jerry can make the letter without saying the steps out loud, its time for paper. The curriculum is completely reproducible and so it can be used for all your children. It is also VERY affordable. "Cursive First" leaves out all the unnecessary and sometime overwhelming frills. The work sheets are only half page each. Which allows me to enlarge them for five-year-old hands. 

For those of you who are trying to teach lefties, I also found out that cursive is easier for a left-handed student to learn than print.  

"Cursive First" is only $20! It was designed to work along with a phonics/spelling based reading program called "Spell to Read and Write". I already have an excellent phonics program that was given to me so I'm just using "Cursive First." It would work well with any phonics-based program or on its own. 

If you have taught your children cursive from the beginning, I would love to hear how it went. If you're interested in "Cursive First", just click here. I'll update you as Jerry progresses and let you all know how the program turns out.

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With God Nothing is impossible!!!!


Today is one of those, "It IS possible" kinda days. First, our youngest, Kaylee, has decided this week that she is ready to be a big girl. I was beginning to think she would never do it. We started potty training a year ago, but with all the changes in our family, it was pretty much a bust. I tried EVERYTHING and what it boils down to is... when their ready, their ready. Anyhow, this morning while I was teaching Jerry, Josie came running downstairs saying excitedly, "Mommy, guess what Kaylee's doing!" Kaylee was playing with her big sister when she got that special feeling. So, without any help, she used the BIG potty and did number two!! Now if I can just teach her the value of getting wiped BEFORE putting her culottes back on!

Jerry is doing well in school and can read long vowel words that follow the silent "E" rule and the "When two vowels go out to play a game, the first one usually says its long name" rule. I love the look when he reads something all by himself. Its a whole new world!

Josie is also doing a little preschool and loves school. She interrupts her brother several times and can be found sneaking around the corner listening  in on his lessons. She's learned the days of the weeks from eavesdropping. She's going to be fun next year. Josie has a fairly bad speech impediment which I'm afraid might hinder her reading skills since she can't hear the difference between certain sounds. I've learned a valuable lesson -- be careful what you name your child, because you don't know if they are going to have difficulty speaking. That's why Jocelyn insists on being called Josie, her given name is Jocelyn Louise Loveless, four "L"'s which come out as "y"'s when she says them! If any of you home school parents have dealt with this, I would love your advice on how to help her with it.

Overall, its been a great morning. Now to make lunch. After that, I have a bulletin board to decorate for our ladies' Bible study tonight. Have a great day and hold on to those glimmers of success. It IS possible!

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Free Math Curriculum


A friend of mine told me about this full math curriculum. It's from Great Britain. It can be used for homeschooling or in a classroom setting. It begins with kindergarten (reception is what they call it in the UK) and goes straight through Secondary School. I've been using it all week and Jerry loves it! I started him on the first level since he already knows his colors, shapes, and can count to two hundred. So, I started using the kindergarten level with Josie who's four.

This curriculum teaches not just math but also, critical thinking, problem solving, and mental math. If your child is bored to tears of drills and facts, you should take a look at this program. The only down-side is that some of the words used are a little different since it is from the UK. For instance, lorries instead of trucks.

The best thing is, it is entirely free. The lesson plans are made out for you and the flash cards and work sheets are available for printing. And some of the learning posters are in color. Other than a few simple, inexpensive items like counting sticks this program provides everything you need.

Jerry and Josie can't get enough, and if you knew our Jerry that's saying a lot! He's a very a active boy that needs to be challenged in order to keep his attention.


Well, I'm having trouble with Blogger tonight, so I think I will sign off. Let me know what you think about the curriculum. Good night.

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Public Education - or - Russian Roulette?

I've got a bee in my bonnet, so I'm posting from our family site, It's A Loveless World. If you follow us there, I'm sorry to repeat myself, but this is very important. Maybe later, I can post a recipe or something a little on the lighter side. Thank you for your patience.

Today we were sent a very angry comment which I chose to reject due to the offensive manner in which it was written. The writer was upset and offended by the stand we take against public education. I would not be so arrogant to think that NO child can be educated in a state run school and still be a strong servant of God. That is simply not so. My husband attended public school for the majority of his education. Miss L stated that it was not the school's job to teach our kids the Bible.

It is not so much about what they don't teach in the public schools as much as what they do teach.

What we do believe is, that there is a REAL danger in the public education system. We also believe that the education of children is a responsibility given to parents by God. God gives each family specific children for a reason. You are the parents of those children because God chose you. You have the experiences, the knowledge, and the temperament, best suited to raise that child to the glory of God.

Is your teaching being compromised? Your children spend more time under the influence of an education system that is nothing more than propaganda, promoting the agenda of Satan Himself, than the influence of you and your church. What was it that Hitler said? Something about... if you say it loud enough and long enough the people will believe it? I've found it to be true that children learn by repetition and example. In school they are sat down and taught that you are a liar, that God is a fairy tale designed by poor uneducated ignoramuses.  They are told that sexual orientation  is something that "nature" chooses. They are taught that they are more informed than their parents. They are taught that God's idea of family is oppression. They are taught all these things and more. And it is repeated over and over and over again. They see it lived day after day. Aren't parents taking a very big risk that their teaching won't be lost in the smoke? Isn't it playing Russian Roulette with your children's spiritual welfare?

I'm sorry if I've stepped out of line in the manner in which I've stated our views. But I do not apologize for the stand we take. We feel very strong about this and have chosen to home-school our children. If you have not chosen to do that, well, all I can say is, let God be the Judge. I have not nor will I ever go to someone else's blog or web site and comment in such an offensive manner. We are not to argue and fuss with one another. Miss L has the ability to feel the way she does about her choice, I do not begrudge her of her freedom of speech. However, I also ask that I be given the same respect. This is our blog where we share our beliefs. If Miss L. wants to share her beliefs on a blog she may start one of her own.

If you have been put in a position where you have lost the privilege of educating your child the Bible way, I hope you realize that I'm not talking about you. I know your heart aches for your children. God also knows and will protect them. My heart goes out to you.

If you think that what we are saying is a bunch of hype, then please, I beg you to go to this site and watch the news special by Fox News. Here's the link to the Glenn Beck Show March 5, 2010. It is about forty minutes long and I will warn you that it does use cr_p a few times and quietly uses one other cuss word. However, the message is unbelievable! The show encourages you to watch it with your children, but I would suggest watching it first and then decide if you want your children watching it or simply to talk to them about it. These are real dangers and history IS repeating itself.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

May God have pity on both the United States of America and Canada for relinquishing our freedoms at the expense of our children.


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